Time-controlled automatic switch.



R. McKNIGHT.

TIME CONTROLLED AUTOMATIC SWITCH. APPLICATION FILED JUNE I9, 1913.

1,173,448. Patented Feb. 29, 1916.

/'/ 5- INVENTOR WITNESSES RM KNI H ROBERT IGKNIGHT, OF SARNIA, ONTARIO, CANADA.

TIIE-GONTROILED AUTOMATIC SWITCH.

. Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 29, 1916.

Application filed June 19, 1913. Serial No. 774,692.

'tially of a dial supportedby and in frictional engagement with the hour hand driving sleeve and having twelve circumferential graduations corresponding to the twelve hours, a peripheral tripping cam connected to the dial, a spring held switch operating lever co-acting therewith to throw the switch in one direction when the lever is freed, a stationary dial divided into twentyfour circumferential gradnations. a rotatably mounted peripheral cam, a pointer connected thereto and co-acting with the stationary dial and a driving connection between the rotating dial and the honr h i the retating pointer whereby the are rotated in proportion sf to one and" a spring held switch op lever coacting with'the rotating e i for moving the switch in the opposite direct-ion when the lever is freed as hereinafter 'rnore particularly explained by the following specification.

Figure 1, is a general perspective view of a clock showing my device applied thereto. Fig. 2, is a perspective view of a clock mechanism, showing the front of the casing and clock dial and hands removed. Fig. 3, is an enlarged perspective detail of the front plate of the clock and turning mechanism supported thereby. Fig. 4, is a sectional view taken through the rotating cams. Fig. 5, is a detail front elevation of the rotating dial.

In the drawings like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each figure.

A is a clock casing, the bottom A of which is preferably formed of insulating material. I

A is the front of the casing provided with the usual transparent face A".

B is the clock mechanism of any usual form having the usual minute hand shaft ferentially divided B to which the minute hand B is connected and the sleeve B mounted upon the minute shaft B and to which the hour hand B is connected.

B is a pinion mounted on the minute shaft.

B is a gear' secured to the hour hand sleeve B the gear 13 being driven from the pinion B by means of the gear 13 and the pinion B mounted on the stud B and formed integral with the gear 13.

C is a dial mounted on the sleeve B sulfioiently tight to rotate therewith when the sleeve is driven but free enough to be ad justed circumferentially by the hand of the operator. The outer periphery of the dial C is provided with a knurled surface C. The face of the dial is divided into twelve portions indicated by numerals circumferentially arranged around the outer edge of the dial from one to twelve. I

D is a peripheral cam formed integral with the dial C so as to rotate therewith.

E is a gear mounted on a stud E and meshing with the gear pinion B E is a peripheral cam carried hy the gear E being connected thereto by the sleeve E and frictionaly held upon the hub of the gear E. The outer end of the sleeve is provided with a squared end and E is a pointer mounted upon the sleeve G is an ordinary clock dial provided with a central opening G through which the dial C extends, and the opening G through which the end of the sleeve E extends so that the pointer E is to the outside of the clock dial. On the face of the clock dial is inscribed a supplemental dial Gr circumzero to twentyfrom three.

H is a tilting switch provided with an operating arm H and a knife end H coacting with the spring fingers H secured in the insulating portion of the casing A.

I is a spring held lever provided with an arm I normally. resting against the operating arm of the switch when the switch is in its closed position. The free end of the. arm I rests against the periphery of the cam C.

J is a similar lever pivotally mounted at J and having one end bearing upon the circumference of the chm E the opposite end I of the. lever being designed to strike the switch bperating arm when the cam end of the lever is free.

In order to manually close the switch at any desired time I have provided a. push button K.

Having described the principal parts involved in my invention I will briefly describe the operation of the same. is desired to open the Switch vat any predetermined time the dial C is rotated between the thumb and finger of the operator around the sleeve B of the hour hand. We will say for example, that the hour at which it is desired to open the switch is eight, the dial is then turned until the numeral eight is-beneath the hour hand of the clock. By this means the tripping point 3 of the c ircumferential cam C is carried opposite the end of the spring finger I as the hour of the clock comes opposite the numeral eight of the clock; In order to automatically reclose the switch at any predetermined time the number of hours intervening betweenthe time for closing the switch and the time desired to re-open the-switch is calculated and the pointer E is'set opposite the numeral of the stationary dial G corresponding to such number of hours. We will take for example, six oclock p. m. as the time for again re-closing the switch and as the hour of eight oclock, p. m. is the hour at which the switch was opened it will be seen that there are twenty-two hours between the timeof opening and the time of closing.-

The pointer E is, therefore, set opposite the numeral twenty-two of the dial G As has been before described the gear wheel E and cam E revolve once to every two revolutions of the dial C, therefore, the pointer IE will travel one space, that is, from twenty-two to twenty-one and so on during each revolution of the minute hand.

It will be understood that the notch or tripping point 4 of the cam E willbe opposite the tripping end of the lever J when the pointer is normally opposite the zero.

point of the stationary dial. It will, therefore, be seen that when the pointer and cam are turned so as to point to the numeral 22 that the cam E will have to revolve a distance to carry the pointer 22 spaces before the tripping point of the cam comes opposite the tripping" end of the lever J. v

If it is desired to'close the switch at any When it other time than the time to which the mechanism has been set this may be done by forcing the button K upwardly so as to tilt the switch in to the closed position.

From this description it will be seen that I have devised a very simple device whereby an electric switch may be opened and closed at any predetermined interval so that the lights can be turned on and off as desired. This will be found particularly useful in turning on and off the lights of a show window of a store when it is desired to turn on the lights at a time after the day clock it will be readily seen that when the device is once set to turn on and off the lights it will continue to do so automatically at the time required for the rest of the week.

What I claim as my invention is- In a time controlled automatic switch, clock mechanism having the usual minute hand shaft and hour hand shaft, a switch pro; vided with an operatingarm, a pair of switchoperating spring held levers spring-held normally toward the operating arm of the switch and located at each side of such arm, a stud shaft carried by the clock mechanism, a gear mounted thereon, a train of gears connecting the minute shaft with the gear carried by the stud shaft, a sleeve carried by the minute shaft, a pointer carried by the of the gear mounted on the stud shaft and a stationary dial co-acting with the pointer, as and for the purpose specified.

ROBERT MGKNIGHT, Witnesses:

JAMES W. WILSON, M. LAIMBERT. 

